spoken of in the report of the occurrence which was made to Her Majesty's Government. Your Lordship's instructions upon this subject were contained in a despatch to Sir Hamilton Seymour of 11th February; and Sir Hamilton's despatch of 7th April conveyed to your Lordship a translation of the answer of the Portuguese Government to his note of the 24th of February, communicating the information which had been furnished to Her Majesty's Government respecting the transactions in question. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. R. PAKENHAM. (Inclosure.)—Senhor J. d'Atonguia to Sir R. Pakenham. (Translation.) Lisbon, November 14, 1851. In addition to the note which my predecessor addressed to Sir Hamilton Seymour on the 2nd April of the present year, informing him that positive orders had been issued through the Marine Department to the Governor-General of the province of Cape Verde, to cause the necessary inquiries to be made as to the truth of the cruelties mentioned in the letter addressed to the Governor of Sierra Leone, an extract of which accompanied Sir Hamilton Seymour's note of the 24th February last, as having been practised upon some fugitive slaves by the heirs of Caetano Jozé Nozolini, I have the honour to state to you that the present Minister of that Department brought to my knowledge, on the 7th instant, the report drawn up by the said Governor-General, as also that of the Governor of Bissao; from the contents of these it is seen that the complaint in question is entirely destitute of foundation. From these reports it appears that in September or October of last year, some slaves, the property of Nicolao Monteiro de Macedo, having ran away from Bissao, and among them one only belonging to the Nozolini family, he (Nozolini) requested the Governor of the garrison to afford him the necessary aid in order to capture him, which was effected. In consequence of the act of evasion, the guilty parties were punished at the request of their owners, without, however, using the least severity, and much less the barbarity of shooting or firing at them with powder and salt, or stripes causing death, as referred to in the said extract. The Governor-General of the province of Cape Verde further adds, that being personally acquainted with the Governor of Bissao, against whom the complaint is directed, and knowing his uprightness in the discharge of his duty as an officer, he cannot feel convinced that he in any way contributed to what has been alleged, and it ought only to be attributed to an excess of zeal on the part of the person who informed the Governor of Sierra Leone, who no doubt, in good faith, believed him, judging him to be prompted by feelings of humanity. I avail, &c. Sir R. Pakenham. A. A. JERVIS D'ATONGUIA. No. 434-Sir R. Pakenham to Earl Granville.—(Rec. February 23.) MY LORD, Lisbon, February 14, 1852. WITH reference to your Lordship's despatch of the 24th of January, I have the honour herewith to inclose a copy of a note which in the fulfilment of the instructions contained in that despatch I addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, signifying the desire of Her Majesty's Government that the Portuguese Government might see fit to express to the Governor-General of the Cape de Verdes, their approval of his zealous exertions to put down the Slave Trade, as manifested in the cases reported to your Lordship by Mr. Consul Rendall. I inclose also a translation of a note in answer, from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in which his Excellency assures me that Her Most Faithful Majesty's Government will feel great pleasure in complying with the wishes of Her Majesty's Government, by transmitting to the Governor of the Cape de Verdes the flattering notice taken by Her Majesty's Government of his exertions for the suppression of the Slave Trade. I have, &c. Earl Granville. SIR, R. PAKENHAM. (Inclosure 1.)-Sir R. Pakenham to Senhor J. d'Atonguia. Lisbon, February 5, 1852. HER Majesty's Consul in the Cape de Verde Islands has reported to Her Majesty's Government, that his Excellency the Governor-General of that province had, with a laudable zeal for the fulfilment of the laws of Portugal and the obligations of this country, lately seized and brought to condemnation a brigantine schooner, without papers, which had entered the port of St. Jago, and was known to be a vessel engaged in the Slave Trade. His Excellency has furthermore, it appears, issued stringent instructions for the suppression of slavery in those islands. I am instructed, in bringing these circumstances to your Excellency's notice, to say, that Her Majesty's Government would be glad if the Portuguese Government should see fit to express to the Governor-General of the Cape de Verdes, their approval of his having thus taken effective measures to put down the Slave Trade. I request, &c. Senhor J. d'Atonguia. R. PAKENHAM. (Inclosure 2.)—Senhor J. d'Atonguia to Sir R. Pakenham. (Translation.) Lisbon, February 12, 1852. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note which you were pleased to address to me on the 5th instant, informing me that the British Consul at the Cape Verde Islands had reported to his Government that the Governor-General of that province, with praiseworthy zeal in the fulfilment of the laws of the kingdom and the obligations entered into by this country, had lately apprehended and caused to be condemned a brig-schooner, which had entered the port of St. Jago without any papers, and which was known to be implicated in the Slave Trade, and that he had, moreover, issued strict orders for the suppression of this trade in the said islands. You add that Her Britannic Majesty's Government would very much wish that the Government of Her Majesty the Queen should see fit to express to the said Governor-General their approbation of the measures which he has adopted for putting a stop to such an odious traffic. Her Most Faithful Majesty's Government, duly appreciating this communication so highly flattering to that functionary, and in compliance with the desire expressed by Her Britannic Majesty's Government, will not fail to convey to him the well-merited praise which his zealous conduct deserves; to which end I this day address the Minister of Marine, bringing your above-mentioned note to his knowledge. I renew, &c. Sir R. Pakenham. A. A. JERVIS D'ATONGUIA. SIR, PORTUGAL (Azores). CONSULAR. No. 438.-Viscount Palmerston to Consul Hunt. Foreign Office, June 16, 1851. I HAVE lately received information from Her Majesty's Minister at Rio de Janeiro, that the slave-traders of Brazil, despairing of being able any longer to fit out in the ports of that empire vessels which are intended for slave-trading voyages, intend to try to carry on their preparations for their illegal trade in the ports of the Cape Verde Islands and of the Western Islands, and especially at the Island of Terceira, in the last named group. I have therefore to instruct you to keep a strict watch on the proceedings of the slave-vessels at Terceira, and generally throughout the district of your Consulate, and to communicate by every means to the Commodore in command of Her Majesty's squadron on the west coast of Africa, whatever information you may obtain respect ing them. T. C. Hunt, Esq. I am, &c. PALMERSTON. RUSSIA. No. 463.-Viscount Palmerston to Lord Bloomfield. MY LORD, Foreign Office, June 12, 1851. I HEREWITH transmit to you, for communication to Count Nesselrode, a copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Erzeroom, reporting that the Turkish Pasha (Hamdy) had bought and retained as slaves, 3 male children, natives of Georgia; and that he had asserted to Bidjan Pasha that he had previously made purchases of Georgian slaves, with the connivance of the Russian Consul. Lord Bloomfield. *I am, &c. PALMERSTON. No. 464.-Lord Bloomfield to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. July 4.) I HAVE had the honour to receive your Lordship's despatch of the 12th instant, inclosing the copy of one from Mr. Consul Brant, dated Erzeroom, May 5, reporting that Hamdy Pasha had bought and detained in slavery 3 male children, natives of Georgia; and that he had asserted to Bidjan Pasha that he had previously, made purchases of Georgian slaves, with the connivance of the Russian Consul. In conformity with your Lordship's instructions, I have communicated Mr. Brant's despatch to Count Nesselrode, and left it with his Excellency. He promised to make inquiries without delay into the subject to which your Lordship had directed me to call the attention of the Imperial Government, and to inform Her Majesty's Legation of the result thereof. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. BLOOMFIELD. No. 465.-Viscount Palmerston to Mr. Buchanan. SIR, Foreign Office, July 12, 1851. WITH reference to my despatch of the 12th ultimo and to your reply thereto of the 24th ultimo, on the subject of the alleged purchase of Georgian slaves by the Pasha of Erzeroom, with the con nivance of the Russian Consul at that place, I herewith transmit to you, for your information and guidance, a copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople, reporting the steps which he had taken in the matter. J. Buchanan, Esq. I am, &c. PALMERSTON. No. 466.-Mr. Buchanan to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. Aug. 15.) I AVAILED myself of an opportunity yesterday to ask Count Nesselrode whether he had obtained any information respecting Mr. Consul Brant's statement referred to in your Lordship's despatch of the 12th ultimo, that Hambdy Pasha had procured 3 boys from Georgia for his harem, with the connivance of the Russian Consul at Erzeroom. The Chaucellor evinced some irritation at my inquiry, and treated the accusation against the Russian Consul as frivolous and absurd. I then made some observations to him with regard to the Circassian Slave Trade at Constantinople, saying that Sir Stratford Canning, in a late despatch upon the subject, had expressed his belief in the ability of the Russian Government to prevent any traffic of this kind being carried on from their own territories; to which his Excellency replied, “How are we to exercise control over persons who escape from the country ?" (Que voulez-vous que nous fassions avec des gens qui s'enfuient ?) I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. ANDREW BUCHANAN. SARDINIA. No. 482.-The Hon. Sir R. Abercromby to Viscount Palmerston. (Received September 6.) MY LORD, Turin, September 1, 1851. I INQUIRED, when lately at the Sardinian Foreign Office, what progress was making in preparing a law for presentation to the Sardinian Legislature for its sanction, declaring in future that within the States of Sardinia, the trading in slaves was to be considered and punished as piracy. I was informed that the Minister of Justice, Signor De Foresta, was at that moment occupied in considering the question, and that his opinion might shortly be expected to be given. Since then I have learnt that the Minister's official report has |